Center-left boss defends possible sit-down with Berlusconi

(By Christopher Livesay)
(ANSA) - Rome, January 16 - Matteo Renzi, the head of the
center-left Democratic Party (PD), on Thursday used his first
party meeting since being elected leader to blast the Italian
government for lagging on key electoral and institutional
reforms.
"Recent reform efforts have been a list of failures: no
electoral reforms, the idea of a major institutional reform was
(blocked in parliament). For several years cabinet members have
abandoned the idea altogether. The PD risks losing credibility,"
said the 39-year-old mayor of Florence.
Even before his overwhelming victory at party primaries in
December, the charismatic politician has harbored open ambitions
of one day becoming premier himself.
Recently, some have accused him of wanting that day to come
sooner than later, at the expense of the current left-right
coalition headed by his fellow PD member, Premier Enrico Letta.
Likened to a young Tony Blair, the charismatic Renzi has
fomented friction in Letta's cabinet of late with accusations of
inaction and calls for the PD to dictate terms to members from
other parties of the center right.

Furthermore, many of his supporters have said the Letta
government should replace some of its cabinet with Renzi
loyalists, given his impressive primary victory.
But Renzi himself reiterated his opposition to that idea at
the PD meeting.
"Those proposing a reshuffle (of the cabinet) are missing
the point," he said. It's not a question of swapping two
ministers with two Renzi supporters but of "creating a system of
government that lasts for the next 20 years".
Renzi was also careful not to distance himself too much
from the PD-led government many claim he hopes will fall so he
can mount his own official election campaign.
"I'm the only one in the PD who's never put a time limit on
the government," he said.
"I've always said it should go forward so long as it's
getting results.

"My personal aim is not to play a game of intrigue around
the palace of power to be able to have new elections and take
Enrico's place.
"If the government does well, it deserves compliments. If
not, you criticise it and it's not part of a secret design.
"The criticism isn't to be able to take over, but to give a
hand (to Letta)".

Reflecting on the criticism, Letta's defended his
government's achievements in the nine months since it was
founded, overcoming what many predicted would be a failed
government before the end of 2014 given its tense, unprecedented
left-right makeup.
After inconclusive elections in February, the country
remained without a government for two months before left and
right parties agreed to make Letta their leader, dividing up
other ministry posts among them.
"(The period marked) one of the most complex and troubled
times in recent history, which this government has overcome,"
added Letta.
Since the Constitutional Court ruled late last year that
the law that led to those election outcomes was
unconstitutional, the government is now tasked with coming up
with a new one.
Letta said he was "confident in a positive result from this
opportune and courageous initiative Renzi has launched
surrounding election reform".
Renzi also used the PD meeting to shoot down criticism
surrounding him possibly engaging in cross-party talks with
ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi.
"The controversy surrounding talks with (Berlusconi's
center-right) Forza Italia is ludicrous," he said.
On Wednesday Renzi said he was considering meeting with the
three-time premier to discuss election reforms, as he has done
with other party leaders.
Critics in Renzi's own PD have said talks with Berlusconi,
who was handed a binding conviction last year and expelled from
parliament, would help rehabilitate his marred image.
"This controversy of meeting with a convicted felon is
outrageous. (Berlusconi) was a founder of the current
government, and I didn't see any ministers step down when he was
convicted," he said.
After coming in second at elections last February,
Berlusconi's now-defunct People of Freedom (PdL) party was a
part of the coalition until pulling its support and disbanding
in November.

Renzi has emphasized that he remains the head of "the
second-largest party in the country".
Political pundits say a meeting is possibly in store as
soon as Saturday, at PD offices in Rome.